Granite Stripe

Author:

Travis Barrett

Byline

Travis Barrett is a former award-winning motorsports journalist and the founder of GWC Motorsports Marketing. Barrett has been involved with the motorsports industry for almost 15 years as a reporter, public relations representative and social media marketing consultant.

THE PODIUM FINISH: This Week's Top 3

Each Monday we'll take a look at the top performers from around the region over the weekend that was. Still a pretty limited sample size considering most tracks north of Connecticut have yet to hold so much as a single practice session, but we'll forge ahead anyhow.

Here's your Top-3 from the weekend of April 8-10:

1. Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn. Christopher won the season-opening NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season-opening Icebreaker 150 at Thompson International Speedway on Sunday. He led a race-high 50 laps, but more impressive was the manner in which he won – coming back from two laps down, a penalty in the pits and two injured hands to best the field.

To top his weekend off, he won a 25-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified feature on the undercard of the Icebreaker 150.

2. Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass.

Santos' Icebreaker didn't go according to plan after cracking a piston just 16 laps into the event while racing Christopher for the lead. But he did set the tone for the season earlier in the weekend, breaking his own Thompson track record in qualifying by nearly two-tenths of a second.

3. Keith Rocco, Wallingford, Conn.

Last year's Whelen All-American Series national champion Keith Rocco won for the second time in as many tries in the 35-lap SK Modified feature at Waterford Speedbowl on Saturday. He also won a 61-lap feature event a week earlier to kick off defense of his national title.

Honorable mention: Ryan Preece, who led for a stretch in the second half of the Icebreaker 150 at Thompson before fading to a fourth-place finish, but the fact he was in contention for the victory was a statement in and of itself after returning to his family-owned team this year... Mike O'Sullivan, who picked up a win in the Super Late Model feature at Thompson Sunday and followed it with a second in the Late Model event there... Bruce Thomas Jr., who won the ACT-legal Late Model feature at Waterford Saturday.